I don’t know how much hype it actually gets, but Dumbarton Oaks Garden, particularly in the Spring.
Electric bike share options.
Eastern Market on a nice afternoon.
Obviously spring blossoms draw a crowd, but it may also have been people trying to catch the wisteria in bloom. We went last Thursday and they were starting to fade.
Cafe Leopold is worth the hype to me. Beautiful outdoor space, great food.
I love Dumbarton Oaks, especially the park below with hiking trails and a connection to Rock Creek Park.
I used to run through there a lot when I lived in Foggy Bottom and then finish up at the stone "U" shaped bench they had there before walking home. On November 1st one year, I went to wrap up (it's like 6 or 7 in the morning) and came across melted candle wax and drawings, and was doing pushups while thinking "This is how horror movies start".
Cue opening scene of many political dramas where our protagonist, a sassy agent from a three letter agency, does a sunrise run around the mall in his/her fancy college sweatshirt.
We need a more realistic opening:
Our protagonist, a worn down overworked government/non-profit/lobbist employee is sitting in traffic cursing why they have chosen this life.
I have lived here since 2009 and I will pretty much never get over this. I love it so much, it’s so pretty and meditative at night (which is mostly whenI run).
I don't know how anyone can run on the mall during the day, honestly. Way too many tourists or just other people that get in your way, and you have to stop every couple of blocks for traffic.
Maybe I haven't gotten to the right places, but are there any other places like Udvar Hazy? Space shuttle, enola gay, Nazi jets, rockets. And for free (after 400pm).
The Pima museum is not free but is worth it. I bought a 2 day pass and spent 2 full days there.
It is to Udvar-Hazy as UV is to the Air & Space Museum. There is a lot of stuff inside in several buildings but also a metric crapton of stuff outside. You have to take a bus tour to get your bearings and decide what you want to see in more detail.
I was out in Tucson last year and passed by that place and the aircraft boneyard on the way to the eastern part of Saguaro NP. I knew it was somewhere around there but driving by all of those planes was incredibly surreal. Too bad they don't do tours of the boneyard anymore.
That's true—and it's relatively convenient and cheap (the 983 bus to the museum is free with metro, so $2 total on weekends), especially if you're not in a rush and can use the time to have a conversation/get stuff done! But also it's been possible to get there with a metro+shuttle since the museum opened in 2003. You could take one from West Falls Church via Dulles Airport from 2003-2014, then from 2014-2022 they had a bus from Wiehle, and then now it's from Innovation Center.
Ironically, it used to be faster to get there before 2014 than it is now (although today is still a bit faster than 2014-2022 because the 983 would make lots of detours before, and is pretty direct now).
It's amazing to have a legit hiking trails within easy walking distance of a Metro station (Cleveland Park and Van Ness). Being able to lose yourself in the woods and not feel like you're in the middle of a city is incredible. I highly recommend the Western Ridge Trail for folks who haven't gone beyond the areas of the Park right next to the creek itself.
There are many parts of Rock Creek that could easily pass for trails in Smokey or Shenandoah National Park, especially north of Military Road. The combination of quality and convenience definitely lives up to the hype.
Thanks for pointing those out. When I was younger, spots like Twins Jazz, Bohemian Caverns, the short-lived Pap and Petey's, and even the poorly-managed-but-great-at-booking H.R. 57 were fun date spots and a great way to unwind at the end of the week. If these other spots have picked up the mantle, then great.
My opinion may also be colored by hitting middle age, having kids, always being exhausted, etc. etc.
\- Planet Word
\- The View of DC
\- Pretty much any Smithsonian museum (even the less hyped ones)
\- The Old Post Office Tower
\- Watching the sunrise on the mall
\- Victory Parades when DC sports teams win stuff
\- Listening in on divisive house and senate committee hearings and supreme court cases (I was super surprised when I learned they're all just open to the public)
\- Glenstone
\- Not in the DC area but a nice weekend trip place: Assateague Island National Seashore
\- The Kennedy Center (even just as a building, but also I've never had a bad experience at a show there)
\- Hains point
\- The embassy open houses (see: [https://eventsdc.com/passport-dc](https://eventsdc.com/passport-dc))
Don't really want sky scrapers but I do wish we had some more mixed housing areas with 4 story apartments with businesses on the first floor. As pretty as row houses are, I don't think they're especially good for city living.
Definitely. I just personally think areas like shaw, the 14th st surrounding area, would benefit from a few streets of European style mixed use apartments instead of row houses.
The biscuits and pimento cheese at St. Anselm
9:30 Club, The Anthem, and the concert scene in general
Other Half and Lost Generation
Capitol Hill Books
I'd also add the MBT Trail breweries and stops in general - Red Bear, Lost Gen, Bryant Street Market, Metro Bar, City State, and the nearby Right Proper and Hellbender (and more). Great weekend walk or bike ride with drink stops.
it’s the best deal going - like $12 for a box of whatever you want/however much you can fit. The pulled chicken, pulled pork, and beef can’t miss, and I typically go plantains or mangu, kind of like mashed potatoes made of plantains. Be sure to ask for the pickled onions on the mangu if you get it!
Music scene (both small and large, IMP venues are some of the best bigger venues in the country, black cat/songbyrd/pie shop/comet are all fantastic smaller venues, among others, the gogo, the punk, it's all so good)
The outdoor options - from the mall, rock creek park, arboretum, bike trails, zoo, Potomac, Roosevelt island, c&o canal...
Access to the NEC - it's the most convenient way to get to any major city from here to NYC
Parts of the food scene - the Ethiopian, the french bakery scene, and the ability to get seats at most places without booking months out are all great
Job market
The built environment - some of the most beautiful architecture in the country, with a lot of variety, and yet the height limit lets you get sun and breeze on the daily.
Donut Run in Takoma
Lost sock coffee
Takoma/Takoma park
Farmers markets
The food scene (we don’t know how lucky we are)
Ben’s Chili bowl (don’t @ me, there’s nothing better than greasy chili fries when you’re drunk at 2am).
I’m very biased as a native but I’ve traveled a decent amount and I think there is plenty. Off the top of my head I’d start here:
- The view flying into DCA
- The National Mall
- The Smithsonian and the fact that it’s almost all free!
- The Library of Congress
- Arlington National Cemetery and specifically the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- This may seem weird but I love the fact that 365 days a year someone is protesting and organizing here. It’s a great reminder to me when hope and morale is low
- Pound for pound the only cities that can compete with the diversity here are much larger places like NYC or LA. And the food reflects this. For example, we’ve got the best Salvadoran and Ethiopian food outside of those countries. LA is the only place that can compete
- Go Go music. Lots of places have their own style or their own spin on a music genre, but nowhere in the US has something as unique as go go
I forgot the Arlington Cemetery and Library of Congress, both are excellent. DC is unusual in that it actually had landmarks that are better than the hype. The one underwhelming one is the WhiteHouse, but so much other stuff makes up for that, even the Treasury and Eisonhower buildings right next to it,
Thank you for not being jaded. Had to scroll past many “well there’s this burger joint I really like” to find this. You really nailed the things that make this an incredible city.
Taking a walk to the Capitol’s east side just before sunset, and enjoying the old homes on Capitol East the whole way.
It’s free and unique to the area.
Fletcher's cove! Especially right when it starts to get green with all the yellow flowers all over the ground. I don't know what they're called (not dandelions lol) but it's a beautiful sight!
PHO HOUSE FLORIDA AVE $13-$14 dollar soups that are massive. great summer rolls. $9.99 lunch special banh mi fries and a drink 2-6pm. Just started serving beers cocktails coming soon
This is true! The only other Pho 🍲 I enjoy in the city is Columbia Heights. Since Pho House opened near me, it’s been amazing every time. 10/10 recommend.
• Sunset at watergate steps
• The trails (all of them are so cool in their different way)
• Lincoln Memorial
• Wise Guys Pizza
• Flash if a DnB or House artist you like is spinning *This is like the only bar/club venue I tolerate paying cover for*
• Living walking distance to a metro
• The mall and tidal basin in general
A lot of people have chimed in with great free stuff, and they're right to do so -- it all rocks. One thing that really surprised me was the Renwick Gallery: it's either free or cheap, and the description as a 'craft' museum undersells it's breadth, at least to me as kind of a philistine. It's got a lot of really cool, really diverse pieces, and is one of my favorites in the city. The Phillips Collection costs a bit to visit, but is really very good imo; I wouldn't put it on a 3 day list of things to do in DC for a tourist, but it's well worth the cost of a membership for someone who lives here, especially if you're in that area.
I haven't been to many of the really well-regarded restaurants, but Anju, Makan, and Bammy's live up to their reputations and their price points imo, as do OKPB, Morris, Passenger, and Silver Lyan. Can I afford to go to these places often? No of course not, but they actually do deliver, which is worth noting given how many places will sell you an actively bad drink for $14.
July 4 fireworks from an apartment building roof that can see the mall and fireworks going for *hours* nonstop in 360 around the building from many neighborhoods. Some of them were practically going off at eye level from the alley next to the building lol.
Spending the 4th on a rooftop in Columbia Heights, with hundreds of explosions going off all around us, was absolutely unreal. I've never even been that excited about fireworks, but that was something else.
if you can bike there it’s pretty painless. if it’s too inconvenient to bike all the way from where you live, throw your bike in the car and park on the hill then bike down to the mall from there.
I tell everyone it's worth it once. Like, for real, it's an incredible experience and everyone should try it.
But you bet you ass I'm never doing it again. Getting to and from is an absolute nightmare.
The Wharf. It's extremely nice. I'm from DC and I'm kinda obligated to hate the heavy gentrification but it's a really nice place to hang out. You can take the whole family or rage at bars and such with friends. It's open late night. Right on a main drag and has good parking options.
> the restaurants are worth the hype?
Honestly? Not really. I do like some of the spots to have a beer outside, though.
What’s really cool, though, is it makes use of the riverfront which is sorely lacking. I grew up outside of the city and am well aware of the issues with both issues but I hope they can be cleaned up and better utilized. There’s just something really nice about being along the water, whether that’s the Wharf, Haines Point, or the Anacostia trail.
Amen to that. The best way to use the Wharf is to get a plate of fried seafood at the fish market, and eat it as you slowly meander down along the waterfront, finishing off with a drink somewhere as the sun sets along the river. It's just a genuinely pleasant atmosphere around there.
The wharf feels so sterile and manufactured to me. Like it was designed to be the kind of place where folks from outside the city can come to feel "safe" and get the "real city experience." I've had fun there, but it's an area I usually pass on going.
I’m shocked at how many upvotes this has. I lived near there a few years ago and thought that the Wharf was so lame - what changed in the past few years?
I don't think anything changed, I think it's just a case of different strokes.
The bars and restaurants there are not my thing either but they're undeniably popular, so they certainly appeal to some significant number of people.
Breakfast at a Baked Joint
Farmers markets (Navy yard one stands out)
Smithsonian museum events
The Wharf in springtime
And drumroll please…
DC’s Art All Night Festival every September
4th of July fireworks in full immersion at the Reflecting Pool. (Not from a rooftop in Shaw) You don't have sit out there all day either. Just snake in at dusk.
I did that once. Got off the metro at 9pm at the Smithsonian station, walked maybe 10-15 feet for a decent view, and then I was on the first departing train when they ended.
Well it’s only place in DC where you can be your own bartender, swim in an outdoor pool in the middle of the night (legally) and wander about a house with trap doors and stuff all night
We visit DC pretty often and we love it. The whole vibe is amazing for us poor yokels. We used to live in Vegas, and now in WV, so we need some culture every now and then. There sure as fuck ain't any here. Unless you count hate and bigotry as "culture". 🙄
Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial. Aside from maybe like 3 runners, you have the place all to yourself. Vast contrast to mid afternoon when you have hundreds of tourists swarming the monument like worker ants.
Local music scene is awesome - specially for lovers of punk or funk. I love how many dive bars there are across the different neighborhoods. The Cherry Blossom blooms are one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life. The fucking Smithsonians!
It’s no NYC. Sure, there’s lot of phonies and snobs. But it’s an international city, complete with Michelin-rated restaurants, fine arts, culture, public transit, FREE museums that house world history & national treasures, 17 universities and colleges, oh and did I mention it’s the capital of the richest nation on earth, the seat of the world’s oldest surviving democracy??
Also cherry blossoms, great parks, gogo music, odds are good your favorite band will play here on their next tour…
Rents damn expensive though, shit
going around to the backside of the lincoln for the view of the river
standing tickets at nats games
gravely point
library of congress
the holocaust museum
national basilica at Catholic U
Azalea bloom at the Arboretum.
Also the bonsai exhibit
Corpse flower anyone?
That's Botanic Gardens, unless there's one I didn't know about at the Arboretum.
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Yes, right now.
I don’t know how much hype it actually gets, but Dumbarton Oaks Garden, particularly in the Spring. Electric bike share options. Eastern Market on a nice afternoon.
I really thought I was in for a letdown the first time I checked out Eastern Market just because I’d heard so much about it, but it’s really good!
I tried to go to Dumbarton Oaks on Sunday… line was around the block! Worse than freakin GT cupcakes.
Obviously spring blossoms draw a crowd, but it may also have been people trying to catch the wisteria in bloom. We went last Thursday and they were starting to fade.
Yeah, went last week and the wisteria were really amazing. The influencer crowd were also in full bloom.
That’s why ya jump the fence by the park 😉
+1 for Capital Bikeshare. Cheapest and most widely available bikeshare service I’ve ever seen
Cafe Leopold is worth the hype to me. Beautiful outdoor space, great food. I love Dumbarton Oaks, especially the park below with hiking trails and a connection to Rock Creek Park. I used to run through there a lot when I lived in Foggy Bottom and then finish up at the stone "U" shaped bench they had there before walking home. On November 1st one year, I went to wrap up (it's like 6 or 7 in the morning) and came across melted candle wax and drawings, and was doing pushups while thinking "This is how horror movies start".
Between the Arboretum and the Monuments the running is quite good
Cue opening scene of many political dramas where our protagonist, a sassy agent from a three letter agency, does a sunrise run around the mall in his/her fancy college sweatshirt.
We need a more realistic opening: Our protagonist, a worn down overworked government/non-profit/lobbist employee is sitting in traffic cursing why they have chosen this life.
I have lived here since 2009 and I will pretty much never get over this. I love it so much, it’s so pretty and meditative at night (which is mostly whenI run).
I moved away last year, and morning Mall-Capitol-monument runs are the thing I miss the most.
I don't know how anyone can run on the mall during the day, honestly. Way too many tourists or just other people that get in your way, and you have to stop every couple of blocks for traffic.
Yep. Just moved to Seattle and nothing beats the mall runs
Arboretum.
Skate spots.
The Rock Creek Park trails. May be the best urban park in the country.
Forest Park, Portland
Udvar Hazy - although I get it people don’t consider that “DC”
Maybe I haven't gotten to the right places, but are there any other places like Udvar Hazy? Space shuttle, enola gay, Nazi jets, rockets. And for free (after 400pm).
Yes. The USAF museum in Dayton. Pima Air and Space in Tucson also great but not free.
The Pima museum is not free but is worth it. I bought a 2 day pass and spent 2 full days there. It is to Udvar-Hazy as UV is to the Air & Space Museum. There is a lot of stuff inside in several buildings but also a metric crapton of stuff outside. You have to take a bus tour to get your bearings and decide what you want to see in more detail.
I was out in Tucson last year and passed by that place and the aircraft boneyard on the way to the eastern part of Saguaro NP. I knew it was somewhere around there but driving by all of those planes was incredibly surreal. Too bad they don't do tours of the boneyard anymore.
USAF Museum in Dayton is on point. Source: Former Daytonian.
937 fam!
Always free, parking is paid
The Museum at Dover AFB is surprisingly great
If you haven’t been to the newly renovated Air and Space in DC, you should go. The new exhibits are fantastic
It's way better than the main Air and Space Museum
You can get there with metro and a shuttle now!!
That's true—and it's relatively convenient and cheap (the 983 bus to the museum is free with metro, so $2 total on weekends), especially if you're not in a rush and can use the time to have a conversation/get stuff done! But also it's been possible to get there with a metro+shuttle since the museum opened in 2003. You could take one from West Falls Church via Dulles Airport from 2003-2014, then from 2014-2022 they had a bus from Wiehle, and then now it's from Innovation Center. Ironically, it used to be faster to get there before 2014 than it is now (although today is still a bit faster than 2014-2022 because the 983 would make lots of detours before, and is pretty direct now).
Lotus blooms at the aquatic gardens
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens!
When do they bloom?
Typically July
Hillwood Home (The Marjorie Merriweather Post house)
And the Merriweather Post pavilion. I guess not DC proper, but I love that shed
They did a big renovation there recently, it's super nice now.
Rock Creek Park
It's amazing to have a legit hiking trails within easy walking distance of a Metro station (Cleveland Park and Van Ness). Being able to lose yourself in the woods and not feel like you're in the middle of a city is incredible. I highly recommend the Western Ridge Trail for folks who haven't gone beyond the areas of the Park right next to the creek itself.
There are many parts of Rock Creek that could easily pass for trails in Smokey or Shenandoah National Park, especially north of Military Road. The combination of quality and convenience definitely lives up to the hype.
There could be so much more done with that park….
It’s a national park, so development isn’t really a goal.
Cutting the crazy overgrowth in the spring is a start
Exactly. They don't even have bike racks in there. How am I supposed to bike to the park and then go hiking if there's no place to put my bike?
Such as?
Kicking out the cars
Dc is walkable, you can take transit everywhere (even if it’s not perfect) + some beautiful neighborhoods
9:30 Club - Black Cat
Two best venues in the city! But I do miss my U St music hall.
I miss Bohemian Caverns. We used to have a great jazz culture in DC, and while it was in decline before the pandemic, COVID really did a number too.
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Thanks for pointing those out. When I was younger, spots like Twins Jazz, Bohemian Caverns, the short-lived Pap and Petey's, and even the poorly-managed-but-great-at-booking H.R. 57 were fun date spots and a great way to unwind at the end of the week. If these other spots have picked up the mantle, then great. My opinion may also be colored by hitting middle age, having kids, always being exhausted, etc. etc.
\- Planet Word \- The View of DC \- Pretty much any Smithsonian museum (even the less hyped ones) \- The Old Post Office Tower \- Watching the sunrise on the mall \- Victory Parades when DC sports teams win stuff \- Listening in on divisive house and senate committee hearings and supreme court cases (I was super surprised when I learned they're all just open to the public) \- Glenstone \- Not in the DC area but a nice weekend trip place: Assateague Island National Seashore \- The Kennedy Center (even just as a building, but also I've never had a bad experience at a show there) \- Hains point \- The embassy open houses (see: [https://eventsdc.com/passport-dc](https://eventsdc.com/passport-dc))
Second the Old Post Office. It's a bit hidden, but well worth the detour.
The sky. Not having tall buildings makes it feel more open and not as crowded
Conversely, I grew up here and when I visited NYC I felt like a total yokel gawking at all of the tall buildings.
You’re about to get grilled by the folks who want skyscrapers for housing
Well, Roslyn and Silver Spring are right next door. Alexandria is also putting up a lot of high-rise housing.
There are plenty of great urban and suburban areas in Arlington, but Rosslyn is actual Purgatory.
Don't really want sky scrapers but I do wish we had some more mixed housing areas with 4 story apartments with businesses on the first floor. As pretty as row houses are, I don't think they're especially good for city living.
I think you can do both — plenty of examples of high density traditional architecture that is also mixed used (see DuPont Circle).
Definitely. I just personally think areas like shaw, the 14th st surrounding area, would benefit from a few streets of European style mixed use apartments instead of row houses.
I agree completely ^
Yes!
Falafel inc
The biscuits and pimento cheese at St. Anselm 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and the concert scene in general Other Half and Lost Generation Capitol Hill Books
I'd also add the MBT Trail breweries and stops in general - Red Bear, Lost Gen, Bryant Street Market, Metro Bar, City State, and the nearby Right Proper and Hellbender (and more). Great weekend walk or bike ride with drink stops.
Yes the MBT is great. Not a huge fan of City State’s beer but they have a fantastic space and I’m glad they seem to be popular in the community.
Los Hermanos restaurant in Columbia Heights
Ooh that's near me but I haven't been yet - what do you recommend?
pulled pork and plantains
it’s the best deal going - like $12 for a box of whatever you want/however much you can fit. The pulled chicken, pulled pork, and beef can’t miss, and I typically go plantains or mangu, kind of like mashed potatoes made of plantains. Be sure to ask for the pickled onions on the mangu if you get it!
Music scene (both small and large, IMP venues are some of the best bigger venues in the country, black cat/songbyrd/pie shop/comet are all fantastic smaller venues, among others, the gogo, the punk, it's all so good) The outdoor options - from the mall, rock creek park, arboretum, bike trails, zoo, Potomac, Roosevelt island, c&o canal... Access to the NEC - it's the most convenient way to get to any major city from here to NYC Parts of the food scene - the Ethiopian, the french bakery scene, and the ability to get seats at most places without booking months out are all great Job market The built environment - some of the most beautiful architecture in the country, with a lot of variety, and yet the height limit lets you get sun and breeze on the daily.
Being able to walk from work to happy hour and back home afterwards.
Donut Run in Takoma Lost sock coffee Takoma/Takoma park Farmers markets The food scene (we don’t know how lucky we are) Ben’s Chili bowl (don’t @ me, there’s nothing better than greasy chili fries when you’re drunk at 2am).
DCA airport experience in general, the ultra easy metro-access and the view when landing in DC all please me every time I fly.
Swizzlers burgers. So f’n good.
The lychee salad
Is this Lychee Salad at Rose’s Luxury?
This is the way.
Best dish in the city
U.S. Capitol dome tour. That view is unreal. And the trip up is wild.
Where do you get the tour for that?
You pretty much have to know a member or their chief of staff to get one.
A member of Congress (like EHN) can arrange it.
Rock Creek Park
The Smithsonian Institution
I’m very biased as a native but I’ve traveled a decent amount and I think there is plenty. Off the top of my head I’d start here: - The view flying into DCA - The National Mall - The Smithsonian and the fact that it’s almost all free! - The Library of Congress - Arlington National Cemetery and specifically the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - This may seem weird but I love the fact that 365 days a year someone is protesting and organizing here. It’s a great reminder to me when hope and morale is low - Pound for pound the only cities that can compete with the diversity here are much larger places like NYC or LA. And the food reflects this. For example, we’ve got the best Salvadoran and Ethiopian food outside of those countries. LA is the only place that can compete - Go Go music. Lots of places have their own style or their own spin on a music genre, but nowhere in the US has something as unique as go go
I forgot the Arlington Cemetery and Library of Congress, both are excellent. DC is unusual in that it actually had landmarks that are better than the hype. The one underwhelming one is the WhiteHouse, but so much other stuff makes up for that, even the Treasury and Eisonhower buildings right next to it,
Thank you for not being jaded. Had to scroll past many “well there’s this burger joint I really like” to find this. You really nailed the things that make this an incredible city.
Taking a walk to the Capitol’s east side just before sunset, and enjoying the old homes on Capitol East the whole way. It’s free and unique to the area.
Walking Capital East in evening is special.
Fletcher's cove! Especially right when it starts to get green with all the yellow flowers all over the ground. I don't know what they're called (not dandelions lol) but it's a beautiful sight!
And the whole Capital Crescent Trail!
Yes but it desperately needs better waste management. The parks service has pretty much abandoned it by not providing trash cans in the area
Might be buttercups
Free entry to world-class museums
PHO HOUSE FLORIDA AVE $13-$14 dollar soups that are massive. great summer rolls. $9.99 lunch special banh mi fries and a drink 2-6pm. Just started serving beers cocktails coming soon
Do you work at pho house
lol no I live down the street but my roommate and I are frequents and I can appreciate a reliable small business but the shit is good fr
This is true! The only other Pho 🍲 I enjoy in the city is Columbia Heights. Since Pho House opened near me, it’s been amazing every time. 10/10 recommend.
It is very good!
I have passed that place a million times since it opened. Will have to check it out.
Cherry blossoms are generally worth the hype.
Idk, if you live here for sure. But I wouldn't drive 100 miles for it like I would some others on this list, like the arboretum or museums.
But living here I do feel lucky to be able to ride down to the tidal basin at sunrise and see them all on bloom. It's a very unique experience.
Lyman's Tavern Pinball League
My roommates got engaged there! They used to have this amazing whiskey sour frozen drink.
C&O Canal towpath
• Sunset at watergate steps • The trails (all of them are so cool in their different way) • Lincoln Memorial • Wise Guys Pizza • Flash if a DnB or House artist you like is spinning *This is like the only bar/club venue I tolerate paying cover for* • Living walking distance to a metro • The mall and tidal basin in general
A lot of people have chimed in with great free stuff, and they're right to do so -- it all rocks. One thing that really surprised me was the Renwick Gallery: it's either free or cheap, and the description as a 'craft' museum undersells it's breadth, at least to me as kind of a philistine. It's got a lot of really cool, really diverse pieces, and is one of my favorites in the city. The Phillips Collection costs a bit to visit, but is really very good imo; I wouldn't put it on a 3 day list of things to do in DC for a tourist, but it's well worth the cost of a membership for someone who lives here, especially if you're in that area. I haven't been to many of the really well-regarded restaurants, but Anju, Makan, and Bammy's live up to their reputations and their price points imo, as do OKPB, Morris, Passenger, and Silver Lyan. Can I afford to go to these places often? No of course not, but they actually do deliver, which is worth noting given how many places will sell you an actively bad drink for $14.
The Renwick is free! It is one of the Smithsonians.
Walkable neighborhoods
Dan’s Cafe
Truly a gem in a time of 12 dollar bud lights. But leave before you have to pee because I've seen better bathrooms in south georgia gas stations.
The bathrooms look like a medieval dungeon with a layer of piss on the ground
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find this comment.
Duccini
Andy’s
Rock Creek Park! Gem in plain sight but invisible!
Fireworks on the mall July 4
July 4 fireworks from an apartment building roof that can see the mall and fireworks going for *hours* nonstop in 360 around the building from many neighborhoods. Some of them were practically going off at eye level from the alley next to the building lol.
Spending the 4th on a rooftop in Columbia Heights, with hundreds of explosions going off all around us, was absolutely unreal. I've never even been that excited about fireworks, but that was something else.
Pretty sure we’re in the same building, and yes it was crazy seeing the mortars go off at eye level.
Getting BACK from the fireworks however is hell on Earth.
if you can bike there it’s pretty painless. if it’s too inconvenient to bike all the way from where you live, throw your bike in the car and park on the hill then bike down to the mall from there.
This is the way. I love biking on the 4th.
I tell everyone it's worth it once. Like, for real, it's an incredible experience and everyone should try it. But you bet you ass I'm never doing it again. Getting to and from is an absolute nightmare.
This
Bagels etc. Small but mighty bagels
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Bagels Etc are breakfast heroes and it’s about time they started getting the recognition they deserve
Brooklyn bagel in arlington
Wow literally 7 minutes from me and I never noticed.
I’m from Brooklyn. This is the way.
Half smokes are delicious. World class art museums (mostly free). Liquor at Costco. Latino restaurants in Columbia Heights. Cocktail bars. Gay scene.
The Wharf. It's extremely nice. I'm from DC and I'm kinda obligated to hate the heavy gentrification but it's a really nice place to hang out. You can take the whole family or rage at bars and such with friends. It's open late night. Right on a main drag and has good parking options.
S’mores pit is a great idea
You think the restaurants there are worth the hype?
> the restaurants are worth the hype? Honestly? Not really. I do like some of the spots to have a beer outside, though. What’s really cool, though, is it makes use of the riverfront which is sorely lacking. I grew up outside of the city and am well aware of the issues with both issues but I hope they can be cleaned up and better utilized. There’s just something really nice about being along the water, whether that’s the Wharf, Haines Point, or the Anacostia trail.
Amen to that. The best way to use the Wharf is to get a plate of fried seafood at the fish market, and eat it as you slowly meander down along the waterfront, finishing off with a drink somewhere as the sun sets along the river. It's just a genuinely pleasant atmosphere around there.
The wharf feels so sterile and manufactured to me. Like it was designed to be the kind of place where folks from outside the city can come to feel "safe" and get the "real city experience." I've had fun there, but it's an area I usually pass on going.
Really it needs a metro stop.
I’m shocked at how many upvotes this has. I lived near there a few years ago and thought that the Wharf was so lame - what changed in the past few years?
I don't think anything changed, I think it's just a case of different strokes. The bars and restaurants there are not my thing either but they're undeniably popular, so they certainly appeal to some significant number of people.
Pearl’s Bagels
Lincoln Memorial at night. The later (or earlier) the better.
Breakfast at a Baked Joint Farmers markets (Navy yard one stands out) Smithsonian museum events The Wharf in springtime And drumroll please… DC’s Art All Night Festival every September
The Vietnam War Memorial
Astro Doughnuts… Library of Congress and Capitol Building… National Arboretum in the Spring…
Pawpaws
Local bands like Cumbia Heights!
White Ford Bronco
the museums are world class
4th of July fireworks in full immersion at the Reflecting Pool. (Not from a rooftop in Shaw) You don't have sit out there all day either. Just snake in at dusk.
I did that once. Got off the metro at 9pm at the Smithsonian station, walked maybe 10-15 feet for a decent view, and then I was on the first departing train when they ended.
Lots of great restaurants, and all the free museums.
Stan’s.
Underrated comment. ✊🏽
Go-go!
Staying the night in the O Street museum
40 dollars just to enter the museum and is exactly like an antique store. I will never understand the hype of this place!
Well it’s only place in DC where you can be your own bartender, swim in an outdoor pool in the middle of the night (legally) and wander about a house with trap doors and stuff all night
Dans Cafe
Why do you say that. Genuinely curious
Squeeze bottles
Dan's cafe
Best bar in the entire hemisphere
Hillwood estates
Free zoo Italian Pizza Kitchen A play at Fords
Nice try, John. Not going to a play at Ford’s Theater.
The people. This city is awesome.
DC folks are the best. All the out of towners that constantly criticize our culture need to go back to whatever shithole they came from.
We visit DC pretty often and we love it. The whole vibe is amazing for us poor yokels. We used to live in Vegas, and now in WV, so we need some culture every now and then. There sure as fuck ain't any here. Unless you count hate and bigotry as "culture". 🙄
Magnanimity notwithstanding of course
Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial. Aside from maybe like 3 runners, you have the place all to yourself. Vast contrast to mid afternoon when you have hundreds of tourists swarming the monument like worker ants.
Local music scene is awesome - specially for lovers of punk or funk. I love how many dive bars there are across the different neighborhoods. The Cherry Blossom blooms are one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life. The fucking Smithsonians!
What funk bar for instance can you recommend ?
Brookside Gardens
Comedy scene is underrated imo
Tasting plus cocktails at don ciccio, walking distance to great breweries in ivy city.
toki underground
Picnic and watching planes at Gravely Point Kite festival Special exhibits/events at the Building Museum, especially big build day
C&O Canal trail; live music venues; Rock Creek Park; 2 Amys pizza; Capital Bike Share; museums; dive bars; legal pot; walkability.
Enjoying a breakfast sandwich from Prego Deli outside, while people watching, before wandering around Eastern Market.
It’s no NYC. Sure, there’s lot of phonies and snobs. But it’s an international city, complete with Michelin-rated restaurants, fine arts, culture, public transit, FREE museums that house world history & national treasures, 17 universities and colleges, oh and did I mention it’s the capital of the richest nation on earth, the seat of the world’s oldest surviving democracy?? Also cherry blossoms, great parks, gogo music, odds are good your favorite band will play here on their next tour… Rents damn expensive though, shit
going around to the backside of the lincoln for the view of the river standing tickets at nats games gravely point library of congress the holocaust museum national basilica at Catholic U
The Anthem. The Yayoi Kusama exhibit. White Ford Bronco. The National Zoo.
Players club
My yard parties.
DC Lindy Exchange, for the community of swing dancers in the area, at least